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THE OBERLIN EVANGELIST CONDUCTED BY ? AN ASSOCIATION 5 * * * HAVING THE EVERLASTING GOSPEL TO PREACH UNTO THEM THAT DWELL ON THE EARTH EVEN TO EVERY NATION AND KINDRED AND TONGUE AND PEOPLE ReV Xiv : 6 C PUBLISHED BY I R E GILLETT & Co ?OL I OBERLIN WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 9 1839 NO 22 PROFESSOR FINNEY'S LECTURES LECTURE XVIII AFFECTIONS AND EMOTIONS OF GOD Text Hosea 11 B.—How shall I give thee up Ephraim > liow shall I deliver thee Israel ? how shall I make thee as Admah .' how shall I set thee as Zeboim ? my heart is turned within me my repentings are kindled together In discoursing upon this text I design to show I That God is a moral agent 11 That he really exercises all the affections AND EMOTIONS ASCRIBED TO HIM IN THE BIBLE 111 That it is a real and great grief to him Til ABANDON SINNERS TO DEATH IV That they really compel him to do so I I am to show that God is a moral agent i.e that he possesses and exercises the powers of moral agency intelligence will conscience and all those susceptibilities that lays mind open to the full force of motives That he is such an agent I infer 1 From the fact that man was created in his imao-e And we know from consciousness that we possess and exercise the powers of moral agency The image of God in which man was created could not possibly have related to his moral character for moral character is not a subject of creation If by moral character is intended any thing that is praise or blame-worthy it is absurd nonsense to say that it can be the subject of creation It may be induced by moral means or moral considerations as I suppose moral character always is produced in man whenever there is any holiness in him and in this sense man's character may be the subject of creation But that it should be the subject of creation in the same sense in which the nature of man is created is certainly impossible 2 If God he not a moral agent he can have no moral character In other words he could be neither praise nor blame-worthy For certainly none hut a morai agent can have moral character—can deserve praise or blame 3 If God be not a moral agent he cannot possess a rational happiness i.e he could possess none of that happiness which arises out of a virtuous character4 If not he is not a proper object of love or worship or obedience And certainly a moral agent like man has no right to obey or worship any but a moral being 5 If not it is impossible that moral agents like men should love or worship or obey him when they come to know him 6 The works of creation afford ineontestible evidence that God possesses and exercises not only the attributes of amoral agent but that these attributes are absolutely infinite in extent 7 Both the moral and providential governments of God prove unanswerably the same truth 8 The Scriptures every where in every variety of form represent God as a moral agent And scarcely a single thing asserted of him in the scriptures could be true unless he is a moral agent 11 God really exercises all the affections ascribed to him in the Bible 1 This must be bo from the very laws of his being2 The Bible ascribes love hatred anger repentance grief compassion indignation abhorrence patience long-suffering joy and every other affection and emotion of a moral being to God Upon these scriptures I remark (1.) He mustfeel or he is not virtuous Virtue cannot consist in the mere abstractions of the intellect but belongs to the heart And an intellect without moral feeling cannot be virtuous (2.) He must feel towards every thing according to its nature or character or he is not virtuous (3.) He is able to consider atone and the same time the nature and character of all events and being infinite is able to feel towards every thing in existence precisely according to its nature character and relations (4.) It is his duty to exercise these feelings in kind and degree just suited to every tiling that exists(5.) His holiness consists in this and in nothing else—in regarding every thing according to its real nature and character Were it otherwise instead of being holy and an object of praise and love he would be wicked and not worthy of our praise or love (6.) All these states ascribed to him in the Bible must be the real exercises of his mind as they are only the natural and necessary modifications of love that must certainly exist under the circumstances in which he is placed There really are in the universe objects that ought to excite in his mind and if he is love must excite all the affections and emotions ascribed to him 111 It is a real and great grief to God to abandon sinners to death 1 This is evident from the fact that it really ought to be a great grief to God to give the wicked up to eternal death It is really a great evil And it is impossible that benevolence should not regard it as such And if there really exist a necessity for it it must notwithstanding be regarded as a great evil 2 It really must be a great grief to God if he is love It is impossible that it should not be.— And it is a contradiction to affirm that God is love and yet that he is not grieved with the necessity of taking such a course with sinners 3 The Bible declares it in many ways Seethe text " How shall I give thee up Ephraim 1 how shall I deliver thee Israel 1 how shall I make thee as Admah 1 how shall I set thee as Zeboim 1 my heart is turned within me my repentings are kindled together" Here the language is plainly that of a father who finds himself under the necessity of giving up and expelling from his family a frovvard son as a less evil than to suffer him by his example to ruin all the rest In this text God expresses himself as not only exercising the feelings of a father but as exercising the feelings of intense grief as if he had said I have done all that in me lies to reclaim and save you and Oh how shall I give you up " My heart is turned within me my repentings are kindled together!" As if God were standing before the sinner in the attitude of a father and really overcome with excessive grief There are many other passages of scripture that plainly declare the same truth 4 All his works imply it Every thing that God has made in the universe demonstrates his intenseintense desire to promote the happiness of his creatures And so much pains certainly could not be taken by any mind to promote the happiness of others without being grieved with the necessity of giving them up to ruin 5 His grace manifested in the Atonement is th« highest possible demonstration that he has all the feelings ascribed to him in the Bible and in an infinite degree Did he not really love sinners could he make so great a sacrifice to save them 1 Were he not angry at sin—were he not infinitely just and inflexible in maintaining the principles of his government could he have given his Son to die as their substitute rather than pardon them without an Attonementl We certainly should consider it the highest possible evidence of love in a human being to give himself or his son to die for us IV Sinners really compel God to give them up I know that this statement is very diverse from the common opinions of men for they argue merely from the Omnipotence of God that he can save them if he will And they never ask the question whether under all the circumstances of the case he can wisely will to save them Under this head I remark1 That since God has created you moral agents and placed you under a moral government making you responsible for the right exercise of your powers of moral agency he has no right to set aside your liberty and treat you inconsistently with the nature he has given you 2 If he had a right and should actually set aside your liberty in doing this he would render your salvation naturally impossible ; for salvation without virtue is absurd and virtue without free-agency is a contradiction So that you cannot possibly be saved unless you can be induced by the considerations of the gospel to love and serve God Here it may be objected that in the parable of the marriage the king is represented as ordering his servants to go out and compel people to come in.— But this is only a moral compulsion—such a degree of argument and persuasion that as it were constrains the sinner to come without at all interfering with his freedom 3 There certainly is a point beyond which forbearance in God would be no virtue and where further arguments and persuasions and efforts to save tliem would be entirely inconsistent with the honor and dignity and glory of God and consequently with the rights and well-being of the universe.— Beyond this point then God cannot and ought not to go If he sacrifice his own character he sacrifices with it the holiness and happiness of all other beings as their holiness and happiness must depend upon their confidence in him It is easy to see therefore that the conduct of sinners imposes the necessity upon God of giving them up to damnation as the least of two evils If they take such an attitude as'they often do as to render it unwise in him to pursue them any farther with offers of orace he must either give them up and save the universe of holy beings or he must give up his character and thereby abandon the entire universe to ruin REMARKS I It is a great and ruinous error to suppose that the declarations of scripture with regard to the moral feelings of God are mere accommodations to human weakness (1.) Because it is denying the nature of God (2.) It is denying his whole moral character (3.) It is representing him as a hypocrite He THE OBERLIN EVANGELIST Will be published once in two weeks It will be filled mostly with original matter and at the close of each volume will contain an index to all the articles TERMS One Dollar per annum ahoaysm advance Communications free of charge to the publishers may be directed— "Oberlin Evangelist Lorain Co Ohio" Printed by JAMES STEELE Oberlin Ohio •„• Printing done with accuracy and neatness at this office

THE OBERLIN EVANGELIST CONDUCTED BY ? AN ASSOCIATION 5 * * * HAVING THE EVERLASTING GOSPEL TO PREACH UNTO THEM THAT DWELL ON THE EARTH EVEN TO EVERY NATION AND KINDRED AND TONGUE AND PEOPLE ReV Xiv : 6 C PUBLISHED BY I R E GILLETT & Co ?OL I OBERLIN WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 9 1839 NO 22 PROFESSOR FINNEY'S LECTURES LECTURE XVIII AFFECTIONS AND EMOTIONS OF GOD Text Hosea 11 B.—How shall I give thee up Ephraim > liow shall I deliver thee Israel ? how shall I make thee as Admah .' how shall I set thee as Zeboim ? my heart is turned within me my repentings are kindled together In discoursing upon this text I design to show I That God is a moral agent 11 That he really exercises all the affections AND EMOTIONS ASCRIBED TO HIM IN THE BIBLE 111 That it is a real and great grief to him Til ABANDON SINNERS TO DEATH IV That they really compel him to do so I I am to show that God is a moral agent i.e that he possesses and exercises the powers of moral agency intelligence will conscience and all those susceptibilities that lays mind open to the full force of motives That he is such an agent I infer 1 From the fact that man was created in his imao-e And we know from consciousness that we possess and exercise the powers of moral agency The image of God in which man was created could not possibly have related to his moral character for moral character is not a subject of creation If by moral character is intended any thing that is praise or blame-worthy it is absurd nonsense to say that it can be the subject of creation It may be induced by moral means or moral considerations as I suppose moral character always is produced in man whenever there is any holiness in him and in this sense man's character may be the subject of creation But that it should be the subject of creation in the same sense in which the nature of man is created is certainly impossible 2 If God he not a moral agent he can have no moral character In other words he could be neither praise nor blame-worthy For certainly none hut a morai agent can have moral character—can deserve praise or blame 3 If God be not a moral agent he cannot possess a rational happiness i.e he could possess none of that happiness which arises out of a virtuous character4 If not he is not a proper object of love or worship or obedience And certainly a moral agent like man has no right to obey or worship any but a moral being 5 If not it is impossible that moral agents like men should love or worship or obey him when they come to know him 6 The works of creation afford ineontestible evidence that God possesses and exercises not only the attributes of amoral agent but that these attributes are absolutely infinite in extent 7 Both the moral and providential governments of God prove unanswerably the same truth 8 The Scriptures every where in every variety of form represent God as a moral agent And scarcely a single thing asserted of him in the scriptures could be true unless he is a moral agent 11 God really exercises all the affections ascribed to him in the Bible 1 This must be bo from the very laws of his being2 The Bible ascribes love hatred anger repentance grief compassion indignation abhorrence patience long-suffering joy and every other affection and emotion of a moral being to God Upon these scriptures I remark (1.) He mustfeel or he is not virtuous Virtue cannot consist in the mere abstractions of the intellect but belongs to the heart And an intellect without moral feeling cannot be virtuous (2.) He must feel towards every thing according to its nature or character or he is not virtuous (3.) He is able to consider atone and the same time the nature and character of all events and being infinite is able to feel towards every thing in existence precisely according to its nature character and relations (4.) It is his duty to exercise these feelings in kind and degree just suited to every tiling that exists(5.) His holiness consists in this and in nothing else—in regarding every thing according to its real nature and character Were it otherwise instead of being holy and an object of praise and love he would be wicked and not worthy of our praise or love (6.) All these states ascribed to him in the Bible must be the real exercises of his mind as they are only the natural and necessary modifications of love that must certainly exist under the circumstances in which he is placed There really are in the universe objects that ought to excite in his mind and if he is love must excite all the affections and emotions ascribed to him 111 It is a real and great grief to God to abandon sinners to death 1 This is evident from the fact that it really ought to be a great grief to God to give the wicked up to eternal death It is really a great evil And it is impossible that benevolence should not regard it as such And if there really exist a necessity for it it must notwithstanding be regarded as a great evil 2 It really must be a great grief to God if he is love It is impossible that it should not be.— And it is a contradiction to affirm that God is love and yet that he is not grieved with the necessity of taking such a course with sinners 3 The Bible declares it in many ways Seethe text " How shall I give thee up Ephraim 1 how shall I deliver thee Israel 1 how shall I make thee as Admah 1 how shall I set thee as Zeboim 1 my heart is turned within me my repentings are kindled together" Here the language is plainly that of a father who finds himself under the necessity of giving up and expelling from his family a frovvard son as a less evil than to suffer him by his example to ruin all the rest In this text God expresses himself as not only exercising the feelings of a father but as exercising the feelings of intense grief as if he had said I have done all that in me lies to reclaim and save you and Oh how shall I give you up " My heart is turned within me my repentings are kindled together!" As if God were standing before the sinner in the attitude of a father and really overcome with excessive grief There are many other passages of scripture that plainly declare the same truth 4 All his works imply it Every thing that God has made in the universe demonstrates his intenseintense desire to promote the happiness of his creatures And so much pains certainly could not be taken by any mind to promote the happiness of others without being grieved with the necessity of giving them up to ruin 5 His grace manifested in the Atonement is th« highest possible demonstration that he has all the feelings ascribed to him in the Bible and in an infinite degree Did he not really love sinners could he make so great a sacrifice to save them 1 Were he not angry at sin—were he not infinitely just and inflexible in maintaining the principles of his government could he have given his Son to die as their substitute rather than pardon them without an Attonementl We certainly should consider it the highest possible evidence of love in a human being to give himself or his son to die for us IV Sinners really compel God to give them up I know that this statement is very diverse from the common opinions of men for they argue merely from the Omnipotence of God that he can save them if he will And they never ask the question whether under all the circumstances of the case he can wisely will to save them Under this head I remark1 That since God has created you moral agents and placed you under a moral government making you responsible for the right exercise of your powers of moral agency he has no right to set aside your liberty and treat you inconsistently with the nature he has given you 2 If he had a right and should actually set aside your liberty in doing this he would render your salvation naturally impossible ; for salvation without virtue is absurd and virtue without free-agency is a contradiction So that you cannot possibly be saved unless you can be induced by the considerations of the gospel to love and serve God Here it may be objected that in the parable of the marriage the king is represented as ordering his servants to go out and compel people to come in.— But this is only a moral compulsion—such a degree of argument and persuasion that as it were constrains the sinner to come without at all interfering with his freedom 3 There certainly is a point beyond which forbearance in God would be no virtue and where further arguments and persuasions and efforts to save tliem would be entirely inconsistent with the honor and dignity and glory of God and consequently with the rights and well-being of the universe.— Beyond this point then God cannot and ought not to go If he sacrifice his own character he sacrifices with it the holiness and happiness of all other beings as their holiness and happiness must depend upon their confidence in him It is easy to see therefore that the conduct of sinners imposes the necessity upon God of giving them up to damnation as the least of two evils If they take such an attitude as'they often do as to render it unwise in him to pursue them any farther with offers of orace he must either give them up and save the universe of holy beings or he must give up his character and thereby abandon the entire universe to ruin REMARKS I It is a great and ruinous error to suppose that the declarations of scripture with regard to the moral feelings of God are mere accommodations to human weakness (1.) Because it is denying the nature of God (2.) It is denying his whole moral character (3.) It is representing him as a hypocrite He THE OBERLIN EVANGELIST Will be published once in two weeks It will be filled mostly with original matter and at the close of each volume will contain an index to all the articles TERMS One Dollar per annum ahoaysm advance Communications free of charge to the publishers may be directed— "Oberlin Evangelist Lorain Co Ohio" Printed by JAMES STEELE Oberlin Ohio •„• Printing done with accuracy and neatness at this office